Netanyahu Holds ‘Very Warm’ Phone Call With ‘Friend’ Trump; Both Discuss Gaza War, Syria
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said that he had a “very warm” phone call with US President-elect Donald Trump where they discussed developments in Syria and a recent push to secure the release of Israeli and foreign hostages held by Hamas in Gaza.
In a video message, Netanyahu confirmed that he had a “very friendly, very warm, and very important conversation” on Saturday and discussed Israel’s resolve to “complete its victory” against rival factions. The leaders also spoke of the need to bring home the remaining hostages in Gaza.
Palestinian militant group Hamas launched a massive terror attack on Israel on October 7 killing over 1200 people and holding over 250 as hostages. Around 100 of them are still believed to be in captivity in Gaza.
Israel’s strong counter-offensive has killed almost 45,000 people, mostly civilians, according to authorities in the Hamas-run Gaza Strip, displaced nearly the entire population and left much of the enclave in ruins.
Trump’s Middle East envoy, Steve Witkoff, warned last week during a visit to the region that it would “not be a pretty day” if the hostages held in Gaza were not released before Trump’s inauguration, which is scheduled in January.
Trump said earlier this month there would be “hell to pay” in the Middle East if the hostages were not released before he came into office. On Sunday, a Trump spokesperson declined to give further details about the call.
Outgoing US President Joe Biden’s administration is working hard to achieve a deal between Israel and its rival factions.
US national security adviser Jake Sullivan, who was in the region last week, said on Thursday he believed a deal on a Gaza ceasefire and hostage release might be close, and deputy national security adviser Jon Finer told Reuters there was momentum in the process.
Netanyahu said he and Trump had also discussed the situation in Syria following the overthrow of President Bashar al-Assad. Notably, Israel carried out many targeted strikes on Syria’s strategic weapons stockpiles since the fall of the Assad regime and moved troops into a demilitarised zone inside Syria.
“We have no interest in a conflict with Syria,” Netanyahu said. Israeli actions in Syria were intended to “thwart the potential threats from Syria and to prevent the takeover of terrorist elements near our border,” he said.
